Spring in San Antonio
by Lady Rosalune
Summary: Camelot is at war, and King Arthur needs the help of our favorite time traveling kids, Jack and Annie. This time, they will face one of their hardest trials yet as they find themselves thrown into the battle of the Alamo.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys, this is my first fanfiction. I tried to make it as true to the style of the original series as possible, and I really hope you enjoy it. Please comment, I'd love your opinions. Thanks!_

_-Lady Rosalune  
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**1: A Special Strength**

"Jack! Jack!" Jack looked up from his book and saw his sister, Annie, running toward the couch. "Jack, the tree house is back!"

"How do you know?" He didn't want to get his hopes up.

"I just know," she said breathlessly. Jack didn't believe her. "And I thought I heard a cannon shot!" Jack froze. Then, he heard it: the distant boom of a cannon.

"Let's go," he said. "Mom, we're going out!"

"OK. Just don't go too far, and be careful," she called back, but Jack and Annie were already outside. They ran through the yard and into the Frog Creek woods. There, in the tallest oak, was the tree house. They climbed up the rope ladder and found Morgan waiting for them.

"Morgan," said Annie. "We missed you! Why were you away so long?"

"There is going to be war in Camelot. A rebellion has taken place, and Arthur needs your help."

"Are we going to get to go to Camelot?" Jack asked.

"Maybe, but I need you to find four special kinds of strength for the king's armies. Here is your first research book." Morgan took a book from the folds of her robe and handed it to Jack. The title was _The Battle of the Alamo._

"We're going to the Alamo?" Jack said. He looked up, but Morgan had vanished. "We should probably get going." Jack pointed to the picture of a quiet town on the cover. "I wish we could go there," he said.

The wind started to blow.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.


	2. Chapter 2

2: The Bells of San Antonio

Jack opened his eyes and looked around. He and Annie were wearing essentially the same thing: jeans, flannel shirts, moccasins, and fur caps. Jack's backpack had turned into a buckskin sack.

"Wow, look outside," said Annie. The tree house had landed in a small tree in sight of a town. "What town is that?"

Jack opened the research book, flipped to the page with the picture of the town, and read:

**The Alamo was an old mission built around 1740 by the Spanish just outside of San Antonio in Bexar County. In the center of San Antonio stood the old church which had the best view of the surrounding countryside, making it an excellent lookout spot.**

"Annie, it's San Antonio. Annie?" Annie was gone. Jack stuffed the book into his sack, and climbed down the rope ladder.

"Come on Jack," Annie called from the ground. "Let's look around." She started walking towards the town.

"Oh, brother," Jack said softly. "Wait up!" He ran after Annie. When he caught up to her, he said, "Annie, what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm looking for people," she said. Jack hadn't noticed how quiet it was until then.

Just as they were approaching the center of town, a bell started clanging; a church bell. Suddenly, the streets were full of people. "Annie, where are you?" Jack called through the crowd.

"I'm here," said Annie from behind him. "Everyone's going the same way. Let's follow them."

"No, let's see what that bell meant," Jack said quickly. He opened the book and read:

**When the lookout first thought he had spotted the Mexicans, it turned out to be a false alarm. A couple of hours later, the scouts sent to check out the surroundings galloped back into town to tell of a large encampment of troops, under Santa Anna, just out of sight. The bells were tolled and most of the town's population fled to the Alamo.**

"Oh, man," Jack muttered. "Annie! We need to get back to the tree house!"

"Jack, we don't know what the special strength is. Let's get to the Alamo!" So, Jack and Annie ran with the crowd towards the Alamo.

It didn't take long to get there. Everyone quickly entered the mission, and the gates were shut.

Annie turned and said, "Jack, they just closed the gates. The tree house is outside. We're locked in!"


	3. Chapter 3

**3: Davy Crockett**

"Who are y'all?" asked a voice from behind them. Jack and Annie jumped. "Where are your parents?"

"I'm Annie," Annie said quickly, before Jack could say anything. "And he's Jack. We were separated from our parents when we came in here. Who are you?"

"Who am I? Why, I'm David Crockett, Davy for short. Pleased to meet ya. Unfortunately, I gotta go. See ya round." It was obvious that he wasn't used to having to introduce himself. Jack knew that name from somewhere. . .

"_The_ Davy Crockett!" Annie said quietly. "I can't believe it!"

Jack was curious now, so he opened their research book to a picture of Davy Crockett, and read:

**David (Davy) Crockett was a politician from Tennessee who ended up in Congress, still for Tennessee. When he failed to be reelected, he came to the Alamo, hoping for adventure. He found it.**

"Let's find him again," said Annie. And she was off.

"Oh, brother," Jack muttered again. And he was after her.

Soon, they caught up to Davy, and Annie said, "Davy, can we stay with you until we find our parents? I think they would trust you, and we don't know what we're supposed to be doing." It was a pretty good show. Especially with the facial expressions Annie put with it.

"Sure. I'm supposed to report to Colonel Travis. You can come too. Maybe he'll know what to do with you," he said smiling. Jack liked his smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**4: So Close!**

When Jack, Annie and Davy entered the dark room where they were supposed to meet Col. Travis, a black man met them instead. He introduced himself as Joe, Col. Travis's slave. Joe then led them into a corner of the room where the Colonel sat.

"You called for me, sir?" Davy asked Col. Travis.

"Yes, we are going to give another rally for the soldiers. I was wondering if you would give one of your little shows." Travis paused, then asked, "Who are these two children with you?"

"Col. Travis, these two children got separated from their parents when they came in. The boy is Jack, and the girl, Annie."

"Ah," Colonel Travis said. Then he frowned, "I don't recognize you two from the town. What's your surname?"

"That means last name," Jack whispered to Annie. "What should we say?"

Then, in a small, childish voice, Annie said, "Sir, I don't understand. We're scared. What's going on? We were here visiting someone, and then we got lost. Then we were brought in here and, and. . ." Annie burst into tears. They were pretty realistic.

"Child!" said Travis. "You need not cry. We will find your parents. But, you must stay strong. Without that, you will crumble when things are hard. You must stay strong!"

"How do we do that?" Jack asked quickly.

"Ah, you will see tonight at the rally. I'll be explaining it to the people," Travis said.

"So close!" Jack thought.

"Well, I believe that is all," Col. Travis said. "You are dismissed."

"Yes, sir," all three responded. Then they left the room.

"Y'all go get some rest in the church," Davy said. "I'll see you tonight at the rally."


	5. Chapter 5

5: Strengths

Jack and Annie explored the church for a while. Annie played with some of the other children, and Jack read the research book. At one point, they looked out towards the town to see if they could see the tree house. They couldn't, but there were Mexican troops everywhere. Even if they could see the tree house, there would be plenty of soldiers in the way.

"How are we going to get back to the tree house?" Annie asked. Jack shrugged. He didn't really have an answer.

Finally, it was time for the rally. Everyone moved into the center of the Alamo, and Travis got up to speak.

"My friends," he said. "We are here from many different places and for many different reasons. Some of us are here purely to fight for freedom. Others have come to start a new life. Still others were already here and have been forced to flee from their homes. How can so few of us hold off so many of them? Is such a thing possible? Yes. We have something that they don't have. We have a reason to fight. We are here to protect our homes, property, and families. We are here to free Texas. We have something worth fighting for that could, no, that _will_, be lost if we fail: freedom. We have been mistreated. We have been enslaved. But we will fight to the death if it will free Texas from these people. This is our strength! This is our victory. Our opponent has no reason to fight. We fight because we know it is right. That will be our strength. God will give us victory!

"Now, Col. Crockett and John McGregor will have one of their great musical duels to lift our heavy hearts. Tomorrow, I need a group of brave men to go on a small scouting mission. If you want to volunteer, see me tomorrow at sunrise. That is all."

There was applause all around as Annie turned to Jack and said, "That's it, our first strength: a reason to fight! We can go home now."

"No, we can't," Jack said slowly. "We can't get to the tree house . . . Unless we join that scouting troop tomorrow."

"That's it!" Annie said happily. "We'll join the group. Then we'll run through the lines of the Mexicans and get to the tree house!" It was a good idea. Then, they sat back and listened to Davy and McGregor see who could make the most noise. They fell asleep to more of that noise. Although they were sleeping on piles of rubble, they slept peacefully until dawn.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, sorry it's been so long, but here's your next chapter. Thanks for the reviews. Y'all are awesome!

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><p><strong>6: Captured!<strong>

"Jack, Jack!" a voice whispered. Jack opened his eyes. When he looked at the sky, he could tell that it was almost daybreak. "Jack, we need to go." This time, Jack could tell it was Annie who had spoken.

He got up and grabbed his sack. Then he and Annie crept toward Col. Travis's quarters.

When they got there, Annie knocked. When Joe looked out, Annie asked, "Is Col. Travis in there?"

Joe nodded and let them in. They walked to the Colonel's desk and the little crowd of people gathered there.

"What are you two doing here?" Travis asked.

"We'd like to go on the scouting trip," Jack said softly. He was nervous. What if they weren't allowed to go?

"Children like you have no business doing such a thing." Jack's heart sank.

"Wait, sir," Annie said. "I would agree with you, but our parents aren't in here. We've looked everywhere. They must be at their friends' ranch. It's a little ways outside town. If we could go on the scouting trip, then we can find our way to them. Jack remembers the way, kinda. We could help you and then sneak through the Mexican camp. Please, we want to help!" Annie started to sniffle. It seemed like she would start to cry again if they weren't allowed to go.

Jack was sure that Annie's show was just going to convince the Colonel to make them stay, but Travis said, "We need everyone's help; from the oldest to the youngest. Here, I will explain the mission." He then explained that the group needed to burn a collection of shacks known as 'La Villita.' La Villita was offering shelter to the Mexicans. Jack and Annie would be able to sneak around and throw torches into the shacks closer to the Mexican encampment.

Jack wasn't so sure the plan was a good idea. The idea of him and Annie sneaking around next to the enemy sounded dangerous. But, it was the only way to get out.

"Y'all need to leave immediately," Travis finished. "Go; you have very little time."

The small group left the dark room and went to get ready. Jack and Annie followed the men as they gathered up the needed supplies. Then, they quietly left the Alamo. The men were holding a torch in each hand. Most of the group barely entered La Villita before throwing their torches into nearby shacks. Jack and Annie, however, raced through the shacks. They were worried that a Mexican would pop out of somewhere and shoot them, but no such thing happened. Finally, they decided that they had gone far enough.

"Throw your torches," Jack said. Both he and Annie threw their torches. Just as the shacks caught fire, hands grabbed them from behind. Three soldiers from the Mexican army had snuck up on them. They were captured!


	7. Chapter 7

**7: Norther**

Jack and Annie were made to walk into the Mexican camp.

"What are we going to do?" Annie said softly. Jack shrugged. He didn't know what they should do.

Then, their captors stopped them. They were in front of a small, flat-roofed building in San Antonio. Jack looked around; he could see the church, but not the tree house. Actually, he didn't remember exactly where the tree house was.

One of the soldiers said something strange. Jack and Annie looked at each other in confusion.

"I think he's speaking Spanish," Annie said.

"Of course," Jack thought.

"I'm sorry, we don't speak Spanish," Annie said politely. "Could you speak English?"

"Annie, they can't understand you," said Jack.

Suddenly, a gust of freezing cold wind blew through town. The Mexican soldiers started and ran inside the building.

"Run," Jack yelled. "To the bell tower. From there we will be able to see the tree house!" They ran. When they got into the church, they ran up into the tower.

"How did it get so cold?" Annie asked, once they were inside.

Jack opened the book and read aloud:

**Sometimes, icy winds from Canada would sweep across the Texas plains. These winds were called **_**northers**_**. A norther struck San Antonio a few days into the siege, freezing attackers and defenders alike. Northers usually didn't last more than a few days, and this one was no different.**

"Oh, I get it," said Annie. "Look! There's the tree house."

Jack looked out from the tower and, sure enough, there was the tree house. He threw the book back in his sack, and they took off. They ran through the once-more deserted town, across the strip of land separating the tree house from San Antonio, and up the ladder. Then, they looked out towards San Antonio and the Alamo.

"Goodbye, San Antonio! Goodbye, Alamo!" Annie called.

She picked up the Pennsylvania book and pointed at the cover. "I wish we could go there," she said.

The wind started to blow.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.


	8. Chapter 8

**8: Remember the Alamo**

Jack opened his eyes. The tree house was back in the tallest oak tree.

"I wonder what happened to the Alamo." Annie said.

Jack opened the research book again and read:

**After a matter of days, the Mexicans took the Alamo. They killed almost everyone. They allowed a few of the women and children to live, but otherwise all were shot. 183 men defended the Alamo against a much larger force of Mexicans. Travis had predicted that the defenders would make a victory worse than defeat. To an extent, it was true. At 600 dead or wounded, Santa Anna lost about a third of his attack force. 46 days after the Alamo fell, the battle of San Jacinto took place. It lasted 18 minutes. The Texans' wild fury swept through the Mexican lines. As the Texans attacked, they shouted "Remember the Alamo!" **

Jack stopped. When he looked up, he was trying not to cry. Annie had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Davy, Travis, they all died," Annie said softly. "And what good did it do?"

Jack thought for a moment. "Remember what the book said about the battle of San Jacinto? They shouted "Remember the Alamo!" It did do something. It gave the Texans something to fight for."

"I guess even a defeat can help win a war," Annie said. She smiled. "Travis was right. The taking of the Alamo was worse for Santa Anna than being defeated."

Jack smiled, too. "Come on, we need to get home."

Just as Jack was about to climb out of the tree house, Annie said, "Wait! Look, it's a note from Morgan."

Jack looked at the note Annie was holding. It said:

_Jack and Annie,_

_Come back in one week for your next mission._

_-Morgan_

Annie looked up, "One week. That's not long. I wonder where we'll be going."

Jack shrugged. "Let's go."

They climbed down the rope ladder and walked toward their house. Just as they reached the porch, Jack thought he heard the "BOOM!" of a cannon.

"Annie, did you hear that?" Jack asked slowly.

Annie grinned. "Remember the Alamo!"

They both started laughing.

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><p>Hey guys, so that was the last chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. I'm sorry it took me so long to finish this up. Camelot still needs three more special strengths so I might write a sequel or three. Please tell me what you think. Bye!<p>

-Lady Rosalune


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